Multi-facet profile creation, management and sharing over social networks

Abstract

There is provided a method for customizing a relationship between members of a social network based on a multi-facet member profile, the method comprising: receiving profile data associated with a member; segregating at least a part of the profile data into a plurality of identifiable profile facets, and storing data records associated therewith in a multi-facet profile database; receiving from the member relationship parameters comprising: an identification of at least one other member of the social network, an identification of at least one profile facet among the identifiable profile facets, and sharing parameters defining access privileges to the at least one profile facet by the at least one other member; and based on the relationship parameters, storing in a relationship database data records allowing for determining, for each one of the at least one other member, access privileges associated with each one of the at least one profile facet. There is also provided a system for customizing a relationship between members of a social network based on a multi-facet member profile and a system for managing sharing of information over a social network.

1 . A method for customizing a relationship between members of a social network based on a multi-facet member profile, the method comprising:
 receiving profile data associated with a first member;   segregating at least a part of said profile data into a plurality of identifiable profile facets, and storing data records associated therewith in a multi-facet profile database;   receiving from said first member relationship parameters comprising: an identification of at least one other member of said social network, an identification of at least one profile facet among said identifiable profile facets, and sharing parameters defining access privileges to said at least one profile facet by said at least one other member; and   based on said relationship parameters, storing in a relationship database data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, access privileges associated with each one of said at least one profile facet.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 inquiring said relationship database for determining if a given member of said social network is allowed to access a given profile facet among said plurality of profile facets; and   as a function of said inquiring, declining or allowing access to said given profile facet by said given member.   
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said identifiable profile facets comprise at least one intrinsic profile facet and at least one extrinsic profile facet, where each one of said at least one extrinsic profile facet discloses a relation of said member with an element of his environment. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said element is selected from the group consisting of a material item, an animal, a person, a place, an event, and a group of interest. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an identification of at least one interactional medium among a plurality of interactional mediums provided for use over said social data network, and use restriction parameters in connection with said at least one interactional medium and said at least one other member, said method further comprising:
 based on said relationship parameters, storing in said relationship database data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, use privileges associated with each one of said at least one interactional medium in order to interact with said first member or said first member's contacts.   
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 5 , further comprising:
 inquiring said relationship database for determining if a given member of said social network is allowed to use a given interactional medium among said plurality of interactional mediums to interact with said first member or said first member's contacts; and   as a function of said inquiring, enabling or disabling said given member to interact with said first member using said given interactional medium.   
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said plurality of interactional mediums comprise at least one of text chatting, email messaging, voice conferencing, and video-conferencing. 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an identification of contacts of said first member over said social network and visibility parameters in connection with said at least one other member and said first member's contacts, said method further comprising:
 based on said relationship parameters, storing in said relationship database data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, visibility privileges associated with each one of said first member's contacts.   
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 inquiring said relationship database for determining if a given member of said social network is allowed to have a visibility of a given contact among said first member's contacts; and   as a function of said inquiring, declining or allowing visibility of said given first member's contact to said given member.   
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an indication if system-generated alerts associated with said first member are allowed or restricted to be transmitted to said at least one other member, the method further comprising:
 based on said relationship parameters, storing in said relationship database data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, transmitted alert privileges associated with said first member.   
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 inquiring said relationship database for determining if a given system-generated alert associated with said first member is allowed to be transmitted to a given member of said social network; and   as a function of said inquiring, declining or allowing transmission of said given system-generated alert to said given member.   
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an indication if system-generated alerts transmitted thereto and associated with said at least one other member are allowed or restricted, the method further comprising:
 based on said relationship parameters, storing in said relationship database data records allowing for determining received alert privileges associated with each one of said at least one other member;   
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , further comprising:
 inquiring said relationship database for determining if a given system-generated alert originating from a given member of said social network is allowed to be received by said first member; and   as a function of said inquiring, declining or allowing reception of said given system-generated alert by said first member.   
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said segregating at least a part of said profile data into a plurality of identifiable profile facets comprises:
 associating with each one of said profile facets a correspondent degree of intimacy, and storing data records associated therewith in said multi-facet profile database.   
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein said receiving from said first member an identification of at least one profile facet among said identifiable profile facets comprises:
 enabling said first member to hierarchically identify said at least one profile facet by providing at least one of an indication of a given degree of intimacy and an identification of a given profile facet associated with said given degree of intimacy, where said at least one profile facet is deemed to include all profile facets associated with a degree of intimacy lower or equal to said given degree of intimacy among said plurality of profile facets.   
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said segregation process is carried out by said first member. 
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said segregation process is carried out automatically as a function of segregation criteria defined by said first member. 
     
     
         18 . A system for customizing a relationship between members of a social network based on a multi-facet member profile, the system comprising:
 a multi-facet profile generator for receiving profile data associated with a first member, and for segregating at least a part of said profile data into a plurality of identifiable profile facets, where said multi-facet profile generator is adapted to be connected to a multi-facet profile database for storing therein data records associated with said plurality of identifiable profile facets;   a relationship parameters receiving module for receiving relationship parameters comprising: an identification of at least one other member of said social network, an identification of at least one profile facet among said identifiable profile facets, and sharing parameters defining access privileges to said at least one profile facet by said at least one other member; and   a relationship customizing module adapted to be connected to said relationship parameters receiving module for generating, as a function of said relationship parameters, relationship data records comprising data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, access privileges associated with each one of said at least one profile facet, where said relationship customizing module is adapted to be connected to a relationship database for storing therein said generated data records.   
     
     
         19 . The system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said segregating at least a part of said profile data into a plurality of identifiable profile facets comprises associating with each one of said profile facets a correspondent degree of intimacy, and storing data records associated therewith in said multi-facet profile database. 
     
     
         20 . The system as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein said relationship parameters receiving module is adapted to be connected to said multi-facet profile database for enabling said first member to hierarchically identify said at least one profile facet by providing at least one of an indication of a given degree of intimacy and an identification of a given profile facet associated with said given degree of intimacy, where said at least one profile facet is deemed to include all profile facets associated with a degree of intimacy lower or equal to said given degree of intimacy among said plurality of profile facets. 
     
     
         21 . The system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an identification of at least one interactional medium among a plurality of interactional mediums provided for use over a social data network, and use restriction parameters in connection with said at least one interactional medium and said at least one other member, wherein said generated relationship data records further comprise data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, use privileges associated with each one of said at least one interactional medium in order to interact with said first member or said first member's contacts. 
     
     
         22 . The system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an identification of contacts of said first member over a social network and visibility parameters in connection with said at least one other member and said first member's contacts, wherein said generated relationship data records further comprise data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, visibility privileges associated with each one of said first member's contacts. 
     
     
         23 . The system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an indication if system-generated alerts associated with said first member are allowed or restricted to be transmitted to said at least one other member, wherein said generated relationship data records further comprise data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, transmitted alert privileges associated with said first member. 
     
     
         24 . The system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said relationship parameters further comprise an indication if system-generated alerts transmitted thereto and associated with said at least one other member are allowed or restricted, wherein said generated relationship data records further comprise data records allowing for determining received alert privileges associated with each one of said at least one other member. 
     
     
         25 . A system for managing sharing of information over a social network, the system comprising:
 a relationship database comprising data records comprising data records allowing for determining, for each one of at least one profile facet among a plurality of profile facets of a first member, access privileges associated with each one of at least one other member.   an inquiring module adapted to be connected to said relationship database; and   a multi-facet profile access securing module adapted to be connected to said social network, to said inquiring module and to a multi-facet profile database comprising said plurality of profile facets of said first member, where said multi-facet profile access securing module receives a request originating from said social network to access a given profile facet among said plurality of profile facets by a given member, generates and transmits an inquiring request to said inquiring module for inquiring if said given member is allowed to access said given profile facet, receives an inquiring response thereof, and if required, maps said given member to said given profile facet stored in said multi-facet profile database.   
     
     
         26 . The system as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein said data records stored in said relationship database further comprise data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, use privileges associated with each one of at least one interactional medium among a plurality of interactional mediums provided for use over said social data network, the system further comprising:
 an interactional medium enabling module adapted to be connected to said social network, to said inquiring module and to said plurality of interactional mediums, where said interactional medium enabling module receives a request originating from said social network to enable a given member to interact with said first member using a given interactional medium among said plurality of interactional mediums, generates and transmits an inquiring request to said inquiring module for inquiring if said given member is allowed to interact with said first member using said given interactional medium, receives an inquiring response thereof, and if required, maps said given member to said given interactional medium.   
     
     
         27 . The system as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein said data records stored in said relationship database further comprise data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, visibility privileges associated with each one of contacts of said first member, the system further comprising:
 a member's contacts visibility securing module adapted to be connected to said social network, to said inquiring module and to a database storing profile data associated with contacts of said first member, where said first member's contacts visibility securing module receives a request originating from said social network to enable a given member to have a visibility of a given contact among said first member's contacts, generates and transmits an inquiring request to said inquiring module for inquiring if said given member is allowed to have a visibility of said given contact, and if required, maps said given member to said given contact.   
     
     
         28 . The system as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein said data records stored in said relationship database further comprise data records allowing for determining, for each one of said at least one other member, transmitted alert privileges associated with said first member, the system further comprising
 a transmitted alerts controlling module adapted to be connected to said social network, to said inquiring module and to a transmitted alerts database, where said transmitted alerts controlling module receives a request originating from said social network to transmit a given system-generated alert associated with said first member to a given member of said social network, generates and transmits an inquiring request to said inquiring module for inquiring if said given system-generated alert is allowed to be transmitted to said given member, receives an inquiring response thereof, and if required, allows transmission of said given system-generated alert to said given member.   
     
     
         29 . The system as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein said data records stored in said relationship database further comprise data records allowing for determining received alert privileges associated with each one of said at least one other member, the system further comprising:
 a received alerts controlling module adapted to be connected to said social network, to said inquiring module and to a received alerts database, where said received alerts controlling module receives a request originating from said social network to allow reception of a given system-generated alert originating from a given member of said social network by said first member, generates and transmits an inquiring request to said inquiring module for inquiring if said given system-generated alert originating from said given member is allowed to be received by said first member, and if required, allows reception of said given system-generated alert by said first member.